Car-brake



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HORACE M. LEE, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

CAR-BRAK E.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 227,368, dated May 11,1880,

Application filed April 6, 1880.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HORACE M. LEE, of Boston, in the county of Suffolkand State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful or ImprovedCar-Brake, which invention is fully set forth in the followingspecification, reference being had to the accom pan yiug drawings.

My invention relates to improvements in car-brakes and the inventionconsists in the construction, combination, and arrangement of certainsliding bars and their actuating mechanism, constituting a car-brake,whereby the motion of car wheels or trucks is retarded by frictionalcont-act with such brake, all as hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1' is an inverted or under-sideplan view of a platform-car frame, showing the axles and their trucksthereto attached, and also showing my improved brake as thereto applied.Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same in position for use. Fig. 3 is anend elevation of the same.

I11 said views, A A represent the side timbers of the platform-frame,and B B are the transverse or end timbers thereof. In said end timbersare respectively mounted and pivoted the short vertical shafts a a,provided with the usual hand-wheels I) l) for actuating the same, saidshafts, at their lower portions, being formed with a screw-thread, asshown in Fig. 3, which engages correspondinglythreaded plates 0, Fig. 3,secured to said end timbers, B. Upon the lower ends ot'said shafts a arerigidly secured the cams cl, Figs. 1, 3. A sliding bar, 6, is mounted inbrackets f, secured to timbers B on either side of said 'cams and incontact therewith, and having their outer ends cut oblique to theiraxes, as shown in Fig. 1.

y g are bars, also mounted to slide freely in brackets h, secured totimbers A, and at their outer extremities are arranged to be in contactwith the outer ends of bars 6 when the same are withdrawn, while attheir inner ends they are secured in bars 2', proyided with the brakeblocks or shoes j, which engage the wheels C, mounted upon axles-D, inthe usual manner.

A retracting-spring, k, is secured to the fixed bar Z at one extremity,and at its other end to bar i, for the purpose of disengaging shoes jfrom the trucks when the brake-wheel b is released.

To apply said brake to the wheels C, hand- (No model.)

wheel I) is actuated in the usual manner, (and in either direction,)thereby causing the cams d to force bars 0 outward, and the inclinedouter ends of such bars, engaging bars g, will force the same towardwheels 0, thereby producing the desired contact of shoes j with theperiphery of said wheels, as shown at the left in Figs. 1, 2.

For the purpose of disengaging the brakes from the wheels the hand-wheelis actuated to bring cam d into the position shown at the right in Fig.1, thereby allowing spring is, acting upon bar 2', to slide back bars g,which, in turn, force bars 6 inward to the position shown at the rightin said Fig. 1.

The function of the threaded contact of shaft a with plate a is tosuspend said shaft in proper relative position, and in case of repair ofthe brakes, then, by removal of cam d and by properly actuating saidshaft, it may be raised to any desired height to facilitate suchrepairs.

It will be obvious that cams having various configurations of outlinemay be employed as a transmitting medium in my improved brake; thatfriction-rollers may be arranged in the ends of the sliding bars, shouldthe application of great force to the wheels be deemed necessary; andthat, by securing two or more cams upon a single vertical shaft under aproper arrangement of direct-acting and reacting sliding bars, pressuremay be applied at antipodal points of the trucks, thereby securing acomplete neutralization of friction upon the journal-bearings; and that,if desired, such system of direct-acting and reacting bars maybe soextended as to simultaneously actuate a double or single acting set ofbrakeshoes upon the trucks at each end of the platform by operating asingle hand-wheel, I), and upon intermediate trucks, should the same beapplied to the rolling-stock upon which my improved brakes are employed.

I claim as my invention The combination of the sliding bars 9 g,suitably mounted, connected, and arranged to actuate the friction-shoesj, the transverse sliding bars e c, constructed and arranged to actuatethe bars 9 g, and cam d, or an equivalent transmitting device, connectedwith and actuated by the brake-shaft a, substantially as specified.

Witnesses: HORACE M. LEE.

EUGENE HUMPHREY, T. W. PORTER.

